Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Shutting Down the School Year

We are in the final days of school and are *this close* to saying adios to kindergarten and 2nd grade. But before we do that... May has been a full month of field trip adventures, music concerts, and out-of-the ordinary activities that are making us itch even more for the last day to arrive.

Back in May (the 13th), the two kindergarten classes spent the morning at our local farmers market. The classes have had an in-depth science study on the plant - the parts of the plant, how and where and under what conditions plants grow, plants we eat and how they fuel our bodies - etc etc etc. They even planted their own seeds in the classroom! I was able to join Reed and his friends as they walked downtown (less than a mile from school) to see what more they could learn about plants. It was a cool morning but so fun to see the kids ask questions of the farmers, learn about food that comes from plants, what parts of what plants we can eat, how beans are harvested for coffee, and even how plants are used to make soaps! Each student also received $2 from our school's PTO to buy an item while at the market.

On Friday, May 15th, the entire school was invited to celebrate spring and the upcoming end of the school year at the annual school carnival. Inflatables, pizza, games in every classroom, prizes to win, faces to be painted and hair to be colored, plus the silent auction makes for an active and fun night!

Reed taking his turn to get the gym teacher wet. He nailed him!

Beginning in December, each grade (kindergarten through 5th grade) is assigned a month to present their music concert. The 2nd graders performed "The Songs of Disney" in May (the 18th). It was *hot* in that gym but as always, such a treat to see and hear what the kids have been working on all year long.

On Wednesday, May 20th, it was the 2nd grade's turn for their field trip. We are fortunate that our school has a prime location in town and there is so much to see and do within walking distance. The 2nd graders walked to Dow Gardens to see and learn about the architecture of the Dow homes that are located on the property. They even got to tour a portion of one of the homes, which isn't normally open for such groups. Each student brought a cold lunch (my Honda and me served as the food mules) so it could be enjoyed at Emerson Park before heading back to school for afternoon classes.

And the last big school-wide event for the year was today - field day. Brad volunteered to lead a station so he was able to capture a few photos throughout the afternoon. The entire school spends the afternoon outside on the school grounds, rotating through different physical fitness stations. Brad's station was the homerun derby; you can see Drew and Reed in the pictures below, both on the left. They could not have had a more beautiful afternoon to be outside!